All you dune guys with 800ccs'

Posts: 28

What modification has everyone done to be able to push paddles and power throught the dunes? I like to trail ride and dunes, probably 50/50. I just put paddles on my buggy and was greatly disappointed!!! Evil or Very Mad

I am not willing to sink the bank into this thing cause with the economy in a slump I could buy a turbo VW rail for less then what I would spend total on this thing, with better suspension and seat belts. Are there any direct engine swaps? I know WC is working on a Busa swap plus a bunch more. The big question is do I sale this thing or make it what I want? Can I make it what I want? How much does the head shaving help? Cam? Header? I think turbo is pricy, but probably the answer in conjunction with a cam and header. Let me know what is working for everyone else! Then I still want coil overs and 5 point harnesses that don't loosen up. Twisted Evil

Posts: 121

I had an 800cc with low ratio tranmission. I looked at the cost of a Turbo and decided on selling my 800cc for a small loss. I now have a SR-2 Sand Sport 1100cc and I can go anywhere I want. It has 60hp at the rear wheels. The 800cc engine had maybe 27-30hp at the crank and even less at the rear wheels. I know my 1100cc can go 85-90mph. I can drive it in fourth at 35mph. I am going to put it up for sale soon as I want the new fully welded frame coming out in a few weeks. They made a ton of improvements. I understand Dirt Alliance are starting a racing series at the MX track over in Lake Elsinore called the Super-Kart Challenge. I want to show those $20,000.00 Rhinos what they are missing out on. They are racing Side x Sides and Trophy Karts according to Joe over at Desertoys the same day they are running the mini-buggy races. They are limiting the race to 800cc to 1100cc sandrails. The first race is March 8th. They are going to have 7 or 8 races. I cannot wait. My advice would be to sell your 800cc buggy and get an 1100cc. The Chery 1100cc engine runs like a two stroke. I understand Bryan at Lets Go Racing in Huntington Beach makes a Turbo for the 1100cc that will get you 100hp at rear wheels.

Calbuggy

Posts: 28

Thanks for the feedback. Thanks pretty much what I was thinking. Do you ever take your 1100cc on trails? How does it haddle the woods? Like I said I am a 50/50 rider.

Posts: 323 · *Last edited by showa on Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:52 am; edited 1 time in total*

I have run my 1100 a little around Vegas and it does have a slight "push" that I never tried to dial out....It's going to do that some because of a locked rear but I think there is some adjustments that might help......It did ride great in the desert tho....And lotsa power.... Twisted Evil

Posts: 121

I ride at Ocotillo, Glamis and some trails over by Perris and above Lake Elsinore and it does great everywhere I have taken it. First gear is like a granny gear so the gear ratios are right on. It is a little over 70" wide so it fits the trails where I ride just fine. At Ocotillo I have outrun all the Rhinos, RZR and Joyners that I have some across including the Joyner 1600cc. I plan on upgrading the shocks to Fox coil-overs on my new one. I thought about buying the CVT model with a Weber 140hp but I really like the Chery 1100cc with four speed. I will most likely get the Turbo one day from Bryan. The Chery 1100cc is a great engine with 16 valves and a DOHC. I understand the Chery 1100cc is the VW rabbit engine so it is a proven design. The new model will be be CARB approved so if you live in California you can get a Green Sticker. They are even coming out with a NEV (electric) version of the new model. I drove the Lithium powered sandrail last year and it outrun the 800cc. The new version has some type of electric transaxle with dual electric motors. They are hoping to have some new type of battery power that will give it a 200 plus mile range at 75mph. That should be interesting. I would suggest taking the new SR-2 Sand Sport 1100cc and the Joyner 1100cc and compare them and then make a decision. The Joyner 1100cc in my opinion is slower and has very heavy steering and not worth the $2000.00 -$3000.00 that they cost above the SR-2 Sand Sport 1100cc. Talk to some of the other guys on this forum that have 1100cc sandrails. I do like the Joyner Trooper 1100cc but it is too heavy for the dunes and again not worth the extra money for where I ride. I have never needed a 4 x 4 yet but I could see where that could come in handy.

Calbuggy.

Posts: 206

I have the LJ Tech 1100 Sand Sport and it's a really fun buggy. I agree with Showa in that there is some push at lower speeds. I think if you could dial in a little more steering ackerman it would help a lot, but the locked diff doesn't help the problem. That being said, the locked diff makes it go places an open diff couldn't, so there's the tradeoff.

Mine did great in the dunes even with stock tires. I was able to go up anything I pointed the buggy at in second gear, and could carry third gear on flat grades. I hope to have a set of paddles before my next dune trip, so I'll post the results and any improvements noticed over dirt tires.

I just took it to the desert north of vegas for the first time a little while back and it was a blast. It has more than enough power in the dirt, and with the locked differential, it can go just about anywhere.

So far, it's been pretty reliable. The only major issue I've had is one of the CV joints, but the newer versions are supposed to include the 6 ball CV joint as opposed to the tripod design. There is definitely room for improvement in some areas, but nothing major, mostly just stuff to tinker with.

If you wanted to keep the 800 and get the most bang for the buck, I would mill the head to raise the compression ratio, have the cam reground (or buy a new one), possibly do a little port work, and upgrade the intake and exhaust. It really depends on how much work you're willing to do to get the power you want, but the 1100cc engine will get you there a lot faster if you're willing to spend the money.

Posts: 28

Thanks everyone for the feed back. Does anyone have personal experience with porting and polishing with a header on the 800? How is the suspension on the 1100 compared to the 800? Does the 1100 come with better seatbelts? Thanks again, very helpful.

Posts: 952

First off I dont think you have ever had a VW. rail. There draw back is the suspention. You could buy a vw turbo rail for what it would cost to make your 800 perform, but the 800 with a good set of shocks would have far superior suspention. The ideal solution would be to do an engine swap. If you have the ability it will cost less than a turbo and give far superior performance than any thing you could do to an 800.

If you look at the numbers the engine swap makes the most sense. The 800 sells for around 3000 to 3500 depending on condition. The 1100 will cost 7500 to 11000 depending on make. That leaves you with a difference of at least $4000 to buy and install a different engine.

I would go get a VW tranaxle, use the vw axles and rear spindles and then put any motor you want behind it. They make adaptors for suburu, ford, mazda rotory or whatever. I have seen tranny and engine combos (1600cc vw) that are complete for 700-1000 used. The swap would be easy because all you have to do is mount the transaxle and the engine hangs from the trans, with no mounts. If you want big power a vw 2110 long block sells for $1500 ready to put out two hundred HP. Along with that you now have common, cheap parts when you break something. I have a 1600 cc vw buggy and it is plenty fast even in the sand. If you can put the independant suspention with it by putting it in the 800 chassis, all you need is a good set of shocks and you are ready to roll.

The 1100 is a good idea, but you are still looking at a chinese buggy that is unreliable (I have one of the early ones that I have still never driven in 2 years because of problems it has had since new) hard to get parts for and expensive once you get them. Also they still have axle issues. Treat your 800 as a rolling chassis and make it the way you want. good luck.

Posts: 28

Thanks Valent that does make alot of sense. I will deffinately look into that.

Posts: 415

My 800 is shaved, ported, and cammed. The intake and carb have been modified as well. I have a Borla free flow muffler mounted on the stock pipe that has been cut back behind the restrictor. The timing is set to 36deg max advance.

Theses mods nearly doubled the stock horsepower at the rear wheels. The dyno showed 35 rear wheel hp at 6000rpms compared to the 18-20 stock. The engine was still making power and had not flattened out yet, but I ended the run at 6000 rpm. I typically pull 6500+ rpm all the time now. With the low ratio trans the car will go pretty much any where I want. It will not dune to my satisfaction. Will it dune...yes, will it dune with authority...no!

I drove an 1100 up at Sean's and I felt that it had much better bottom end grunt than my 800. I did notice the steering push, but I know that is due to the locked diff, which my 800 does not have.

I also run a 30hp Nitrous boost when I need a little more ummph.

Bottom line, I love the size of my 800, but it does need about 100hp to get to where I want it. I'm considering a new SR-2 1100, a used Joyner 2.0L or perhaps a Subi turbo powered two seater or 'busa powered car. I wish I had the dough for a Tazcar.

I think this will be the last season for my 800. I have considered a turbo, but I'm hesitant to put any more cash into this car, especially since the market for buggies is very soft right now and it is a buyer's market for sure.

later...mick